Is God still a matchmaker??

[timewerx]

In the Old Testament, it is clear that God has strong involvement in matchmaking. I think, the primary purpose is very obvious to establish the bloodline of Christ.....

However, there's very little or even complete absence of passages concerning pursuit of romantic relationships (that leads to marriage) in the New Testament.

It's not just a matter of "no need to repeat what is said the Old Testament" but this coincidentally occured in the New Testament when Christ came into the world. God doesn't seem to play match-maker anymore since Jesus was already born to this world. Even Apostle Paul said clearly, that having a partner in marriage isn't important unless you can't help it (you can't control your urges).

Further case in point when many Christians claim or genuinely believe that God found their partner for them, even saw signs, had prophetic dreams, met incredible odds....But despite the incredibly miraculous circumstances of their meeting ending up in marriage, still ends up divorced!!!

What God has joined cannot be divided right?? What has happened now??

God doesn't play matchmaker anymore it seems. Those that end up good would seem luck or maybe some hard work.

Even the New Testament is silent on the matter and even about the things we should pray or ask God about, it isn't there!!!

Although Jesus said, "Whatever we ask in His name" This is more in context to be "whatever we ask for the good of the ministry so that people might believe in Him". And indeed, He was talking to His disciples when He said that and none of His disciples ever asked Him match them a good wife or husband! There's a lot of things they didn't ask as evidence of being a true follower of Christ.

Again, whatever it seems that people did have what they asked seem more due to hard work and luck.... Nothing incredibly unbelieveable to see.... Only miracles I see is when something is asked for the sake of God's ministry. That's when the true magic begins.

My point is we may have wrong expectations about God providing partners for us and maybe giving wrong expectations to others. This could have a negative effect on some people that can cause them to become depressed or even commit suicide if "God appears to give them nothing..."

Which seems to have no basis in reality if you carefully observe events. I've seen big miracles but nothing that concerns our petty lives.

 

[salt-n-light]

In the Old Testament, it is clear that God has strong involvement in matchmaking. I think, the primary purpose is very obvious to establish the bloodline of Christ.....

However, there's very little or even complete absence of passages concerning pursuit of romantic relationships (that leads to marriage) in the New Testament.

It's not just a matter of "no need to repeat what is said the Old Testament" but this coincidentally occured in the New Testament when Christ came into the world. God doesn't seem to play match-maker anymore since Jesus was already born to this world. Even Apostle Paul said clearly, that having a partner in marriage isn't important unless you can't help it (you can't control your urges).

Further case in point when many Christians claim or genuinely believe that God found their partner for them, even saw signs, had prophetic dreams, met incredible odds....But despite the incredibly miraculous circumstances of their meeting ending up in marriage, still ends up divorced!!!

What God has joined cannot be divided right?? What has happened now??

God doesn't play matchmaker anymore it seems. Those that end up good would seem luck or maybe some hard work.

Even the New Testament is silent on the matter and even about the things we should pray or ask God about, it isn't there!!!

Although Jesus said, "Whatever we ask in His name" This is more in context to be "whatever we ask for the good of the ministry so that people might believe in Him". And indeed, He was talking to His disciples when He said that and none of His disciples ever asked Him match them a good wife or husband! There's a lot of things they didn't ask as evidence of being a true follower of Christ.

Again, whatever it seems that people did have what they asked seem more due to hard work and luck.... Nothing incredibly unbelieveable to see.... Only miracles I see is when something is asked for the sake of God's ministry. That's when the true magic begins.

My point is we may have wrong expectations about God providing partners for us and maybe giving wrong expectations to others. This could have a negative effect on some people that can cause them to become depressed or even commit suicide if "God appears to give them nothing..."

Which seems to have no basis in reality if you carefully observe events. I've seen big miracles but nothing that concerns our petty lives.

No God is not in the business to find a perfect match for us, but He is in the business to calling us home, whichever path that takes us. From some, it will end up with a husband/wife, and for some they will end up solo. Some people gonna lose their love ones early, and some will grow old together. Some with kids, some won't be able to. Some will be a stumbling block, some will have a partner that will lead them to Christ.However path is gonna get you walking in His will, He's gonna allow it. Even within the orchestrated matches in the OT, it came with its problems. But His intent in the OT is still the same for us today, to save us.

Marriage is a beautiful testament of the love between Christ and the Church. I would never knocked down anyone pursuing it, because man when you witness a bond like that in godly married couples and see the fruits of it, its quite a sight to behold. But God also shows testament in people who chose to go solo and be about the Father's business. Look at Jesus. Look at Paul. They went after the Father like a bridegroom goes after his bride.

 

[timewerx]

No God is not in the business to find a perfect match for us but He is in the business to calling us home, whichever path that takes us

I'm not sure if you're disagreeing with me because I also said a similar thing in my thread.

I don't think it's God's responsibility to play matchmaker for us.

 

[salt-n-light]

I'm not sure if you're disagreeing with me because I also said a similar thing in my thread.

I don't think it's God's responsibility to play matchmaker for us.

Oh no, I was more just adding on. We're on the same page.

 

[timewerx]

Oh no, I was more just adding on. We're on the same page.

I see. Indeed, I believe the responsibility of choosing a partner falls mostly on us. The Bible gave good quidelines on who to choose is straightforward and simple.

In fact, unnecessary to ask it in prayer, just need to have clear head on this one and stick to the Word to make the right decisions.

 

[Willing-heart]

Even if a marriage is made in Heaven, so is thunder and lighting, and the maintenance work has to be done on earth... I believe it is good to be specific in prayer if there is something or someone on your mind. God is more than capable of saying no if we are not praying according to his will for ourlives and also His timing his not ours. Ultimately, It all boils down to the choice of free will. God often gives us many choices that are good in fact, I think often there are no wrong choices as long as we based our choice on obedience to the Word of God. One which includes not being equally yoked with unbelievers.

 

[EyesOfKohl]

Don't you think Paul contradicts the marriage covenant given by God in Genesis though?

God created woman for a purpose to be united with man. If God stated it wasn't good for a man to be alone then, it's still the same situation now, otherwise how has it changed since Jesus' revelation?

Genesis 2:
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
But for Adam"no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs" and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib" he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Jesus didn't contract (in Christian terms), the Fathers word -

30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5:30
42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42
28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. [URL='https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/John%208.28']John 8:28[/URL]
[URL='https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/John%208.28'][/URL]
God is the designer and planner - why can He not then also plan for the marriage by providing partners for people?

Consider, if God didn't bring believers together to be married and if people followed Paul's saying 'that having a partner in marriage isn't important unless you can't help it (you can't control your urges)', how then would the Christian community continue on long-term?

If people were only voluntarily getting married due to 'temptation', otherwise they weren't, if generations began living up to this standard, the Christian birth rate would be at such a decline that the faith itself would begin to decline.

Wouldn't this then contradict one of the main principals of Jesus' message


“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

If you read the below chapter, you can see that God does indeed also plan matches for marriage.

Spoiler

Genesis 24New Living Translation (NLT)
A Wife for Isaac
24 Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. 3 Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”

6 “No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants.a]">[a] He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”

9 So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions. 10 Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. 11 He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.

12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. 13 See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”

15 Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16 Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”

18 “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. 19 When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.

21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold braceletsb]">[b] for her wrists.

23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?”

24 “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.”

26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

28 The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring. 30 He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. 31 Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?”

32 So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.”

“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”

34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. 35 “And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.

36 “When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 38 Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’

39 “But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ 40 He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 41 Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’

42 “So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. 43 See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” 44 If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’

45 “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels.

47 “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.

48 “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. 49 So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The Lord has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. 54 Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight.

But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”

55 “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”

56 But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”

57 “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” 58 So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.

And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”

59 So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They gave her this blessing as she parted:

“Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
and conquer the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. 65 “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.

And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.